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The Spread of Islam

Early Islamic polity was intensely expansionist, fueled
both
by fervor for the faith and by economic and social
factors. After
gaining control of Arabia and the Persian Gulf region,
conquering
armies swept out of the peninsula, spreading Islam. By the
end of
the eighth century, Islamic armies had reached far into
North
Africa and eastward and northward into Asia.

Traditional accounts of the conversion of tribes in the
gulf
are probably more legend than history. Stories about the
Bani Abd
al Qais tribe that controlled the eastern coast of Arabia
as well
as Bahrain when the tribe converted to Islam indicate that
its
members were traders having close contacts with Christian
communities in Mesopotamia. Such contacts may have
introduced the
tribe to the ideal of one God and so prepared it to accept
the
Prophet's message.

The Arabs of Oman also figure prominently among the
early
converts to Islam. According to tradition, the Prophet
sent one
of his military leaders to Oman to convert not only the
Arab
inhabitants, some of whom were Christian, but also the
Persian
garrison, which was Zoroastrian. The Arabs accepted Islam,
but
the Persians did not. It was partly the zeal of the newly
converted Arabs that inspired them to expel the Persians
from
Oman.

Although Muhammad had enjoined the Muslim community to
convert the infidel, he had also recognized the special
status of
the "people of the book," Jews and Christians, whose
scriptures
he considered revelations of God's word and which
contributed in
some measure to Islam. By accepting the status of
dhimmis
(tolerated subject people), Jews and Christians could live
in
their own communities, practice their own religious laws,
and be
exempt from military service. However, they were obliged
to
refrain from proselytizing among Muslims, to recognize
Muslim
authority, and to pay additional taxes. In addition, they
were
denied certain political rights.